KARABURUN BELEDİYESİ WEB SİTESİ

The Karaburun Peninsula is located at the entrance of the Bay of Izmir. Ever since ancient times the Peninsula has been inhabited by different cultures. From old sources we know that the Peninsula was known under the name of “Mimas”. Excavations in the Çakmaktepe area have revealed artifacts dating back to the Chalcolithicum period (4000 B.C.), such as cutting tools, stone axes and primitive pottery. Around 3000 BC, the Hittites appeared on the Karaburun Peninsula. Following this period the Peninsula got successively under the influence of Ancient Greek, Persia, Rome and Byzantium. During the classical period, the Peninsula gained cultural and commercial importance because of the city of Erythrai. Under Roman rule this importance extinguished. Later on, during the Byzantine period, the Peninsula gained again certain importance.

Between 1086-1095 Çaka Bey took control of the Peninsula, making it thus for a short period part of the Seljuk Empire. After 1095 the area became once more part of Byzantium, until the period of the Seljuk Sultanates, during which Aydinoglu Mehmet Bey annexed the Peninsula to its sultanate. During the reign of Sultan Yildirim Beyazit, the Peninsula became part of the Ottoman Empire, until the Battle of Ankara (1402 ), after which it became once more part of the Sultanate of the Aydinogullari. After the period of the Ottoman Interregnum, Sultan Mehmet Çelebi annexed the Region for the second time to the Ottoman Empire (1425-1426). During the Ottoman Interregnum the Peninsula was stage to the philosophy of Sheikh Bedrettin. Börklüce Mustapha, one of his disciples, propagated the philosophy of Sheikh Bedrettin on the Karaburun Peninsula.

During the Ottoman reign, the Karaburun Peninsula was under control of the state administration of the Aegean region in Izmir. Until 1867 Karaburun was a sub-district of the State Administration Center of Izmir. In 1868 it became the sub-district of the District of Çesme. In 1900 Karaburun obtained the status of district.

During World War I, the Peninsula was occupied by the Greek troops from 23 May 1919 until 17 September 1923. Together with the Greek troops, the Orthodox Greek population was forced to leave the Karaburun Peninsula. This caused a number of major changes in the economical and sociological profile of the Peninsula. Following this event, the population of the Peninsula decreased dramatically. Thus over the years, the Peninsula lost its importance. Nowadays the Peninsula gets more lively only during the summer months.

The fact that the Karaburun Peninsula is quite mountainous and that there is hardly any large farming land, has always been an obstacle for the development of the region. Therefore no major settlements were built. Of the period of the Aydinogullari Sultanate, no architectural construction has been found. Because of the earthquakes which occurred in the area, only some mosques and fountains of the Ottoman period have been preserved. Some of these constructions are heavily damaged, others have undergone more or less important transformations.

The world famous seaman Piri Reis (16^th century), gives detailed information on the coastal line of the Peninsula in his Kitab-i Bahriye. The well known traveler Evliya Çelebi, who lived during the second half of the 17^th century, visited Karaburun and described the city as being “the source of income of the Mullah of Izmir, a place with one mosque, one Turkish bath, 7 shops and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards”.

Until today hardly any books or manuscripts regarding Karaburun have been published. The only document which mentions the architectural works is the “Cultural Inventory of the Province of Izmir – Çesme-Karaburun”, edited by the Directorate of Culture of the Governorship of Izmir. This book mentions the existence of 16 mosques, one bridge and over 30 fountains. Another document is a book named “Karaburun” (1966), written by Baris Güntürkün and Cahit Telci, who used the Ottoman records as main sources of information.

Karaburun, the old Mimas, is being mentioned several times in Greek mythology. In his Odyssey Homer refers to “windy Mimas” meaning the Bozdag range of the Karaburun Peninsula. The old name of Mimas refers to the mythological story in which the Giants fought the gods of the Pantheon. During the battle of Zeus and Athena against Mimas, one of the most feared giants, the gods got nearly defeated by Mimas. But at the last moment Hephaestus killed the giant by throwing on him a mass of melted iron, steel and copper after which he buried him under the mountain so that he never would get up again. Since then the mountain range got the name of “Mimas”.

The Karaburun Peninsula is known for its strong winds during storm-weather in winter and also for the many windmills, which were build throughout the ages. In the near future this same peculiarity will be exploited by wind turbines and thus add a new dimension to this characteristic of the peninsula.

Another link has been made between the mythological story of the beautiful young Narcissus and the narcissus flower, which is growing all over the Karaburun Peninsula. According to the legend, the young Narcissus was the son of Nana, the goddess of the Rivers. His beauty was so perfect that even Zeus was told to be interested by the young adolescent. But the young Narcissus didn’t pay any attention to the young girls and boys falling in love with him and led a careless life hunting in the hills of Mimas. Echo, one of the Mountain Nymph’s and daughter of Zeus, fell in love with the young boy. But Narcissus didn’t respond to her love and Echo finally died from her disappointed love. The death of Echo caused great anger with the goddess Nemesis who decided to punish Narcissus by having him falling in love with his own picture he saw in a well. On his turn young Narcissus desperately falls in love with his own image and starves to death. On the spot where Narcissus died, Flora, the goddess of nature, made narcissus flowers grow.

Again according to Greek mythology, the Goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus asked the goddess Iris (Thaumantia with her other name and messenger of the Olympic gods and also goddess of the rainbow) to go and sit high on top of Mount Mimas so that she could detect the love affairs Zeus had with other goddesses and mortal beauties. Southwest of the Mount Mimas a little lake that is drying out in summer still carries the name of Lake Iris.

Çaka Bey, who brought the Karaburun Peninsula for the first time under the rule of the Aydinogullari Sultanate.

The giant MİMAS was depicted as a creature with a fearful appearance, owning a humanlike body but with legs ending in a kind of snake or lizard like tail.

Narcissus and his mythological tale gave the name to what in psychology is referred to as the narcissism complex.

Homer, the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey was born and lived in the region.